Tennis star slapped her backside, celebrated her $180,000 cheque, and accused the Australian Open crowd of being “super drunk.”
American tennis player Danielle Collins recently found herself at the center of controversy during her match at the Australian Open.
After defeating Australian player Destanee Aiava, Collins made headlines not just for her victory but also for her remarks about the crowd.
Collins won the match against Aiava.
In the tournament’s second round, Collins faced Aiava and won the match with scores of 7-6, 4-6, and 6-2.
The match was intense, and the crowd was very vocal.
Many fans were cheering for Aiava, the local underdog, which led to a mixed atmosphere as Collins played.
As the match progressed, Collins felt the crowd’s energy shift.
She noticed that many fans were booing her when she scored points.
Instead of ignoring the crowd, Collins responded to their reaction during her post-match interview.
Tennis star hits back at shouting crowd by slapping backside and boasting of $180,000 cheque
After the match, Collins celebrated her victory in a rather bold manner.
She slapped her backside and expressed her happiness about winning a “big fat paycheck.”
In her interview, she said that she was going to enjoy the financial reward of her win.
Collins mentioned that she had already secured a substantial amount of prize money, totaling $180,000 for reaching the third round.
‘During the match I was like, while I’m out here I might as well take that big fat pay check,’ Collins said while being booed in her on-court interview.
‘We love a five-star vacation, so a big part of that will go towards that.
‘So thank you guys, thanks for coming out here and supporting us tonight. Thank you guys, love you.’
Collins criticized the crowd for booing her.
Collins did not hold back in her comments about the crowd’s behavior.
She described the audience as “super drunk” and seemed frustrated with the boos she received.
Instead of being upset, Collins appeared to use the negativity as motivation.
Collins said: ‘Well I’m going to be here for two hours, putting up with all these people, I might as well take the bigger paycheck, right?’
‘I was super happy to do that and one of the greatest things about being a professional athlete are that the people that don’t like you and that hate you, they actually pay your bills.
‘It’s kind of a cool concept and obviously, my professional career is not going to last forever and I just remind myself every day when I have that kind of stuff that they’re paying my bills.
‘Every person that has bought a ticket and has come out here to heckle me can do what they do.
It’s all going towards the Danielle Collins fund. So like, yeah, bring it on I love it.’
The tennis star plans a luxury vacation in the Bahamas.
Despite the backlash, Collins remained upbeat about her future in the tournament.
She expressed excitement about moving on to the next round where she will face fellow American player Madison Keys.
Collins is determined to continue her success and prove herself further in the competition.
In her press conference, she talked about her aspirations beyond tennis.
Collins mentioned wanting to take a luxury vacation to the Bahamas with her friends.
She said, “We love five-star holidays, and I can’t wait to plan a trip after this tournament.”
Social media reactions
While some fans supported Collins, others were not as kind.
Many took to social media to express their disappointment in her behavior.
Comments ranged from calling her “classless” to questioning her awareness of the crowd’s allegiance to Aiava.
Well, the crowd buy tickets to watch the game and are called spectators not commentators.
Tennis doesn’t need the distraction of the crowd, one user said.
When did tennis fans stop acknowledging a winners effort with applause?
I don’t blame Ms Collins for reacting the way she did.
It’s the second time this AO the crowd has acted in a unsportsmanlike manner, the second user wrote.
Looks and sounds like bad sportsmanship all around in my opinion, the third user said.
Makes me laugh cost living crisis packed stadium paying who knows how much per seat.
As for the tennis player she won’t last long with that attitude! Another user commented.
Give it time they will ruin the game of tennis & they won’t come because of bad behavior & they won’t have it anymore because of a few, someone said.